Talent, hard work and a can-do attitude won budding chef Shayne Trott the opportunity of a lifetime. The 21-year-old is now in New York with Marcus Samuelsson, who opens his new Harlem restaurant Streetbird Rotisserie this week. Mr Trott was invited to spend a week with the celebrated chef based on his work as an intern at HP Samuelsson at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. Lifestyle spoke with the Bermuda College student to find out about more about his love of cooking and all things food.

Q: Have you always been interested in cooking? What got you started?

A: I was in Georgia in boarding school and the cafeteria food was really crappy. I started cooking my own stuff and I liked it.

Q: You joined the culinary arts programme at the Bermuda College after that?

A: No. I’d gone to school for animation. I’d been an artist my whole life. But it didn’t work out for various reasons and I came back to Bermuda.

Q: What do you like most about cooking?

A: The creativity. Especially when you’re working on a hot line [the place for all the main courses and hot appetisers]. It’s more fun than in the pastry section where there’s more precise measurements involved. I like creating my own dishes and learning the culture behind the dishes so I can create my own unique dish.

Q: I understand you worked last summer at Marc Samuelsson’s pop-up restaurant in Bermuda, HP Samuelsson. How’d that come about?

A: I had to send in my resume and a cover letter and they picked me.

Q: Did you meet the chef? What was he like?

A: He was a nice guy. We were talking with him one night and he was a really good guy, helping us if we were doing something wrong.

Q: Did you know who he was before then?

A: I’d heard of him.

Q: Have you eaten at any of his restaurants?

A: I have not been to any yet.

Q: You were selected for the New York trip. What did they say when they gave you the good news?

A: They said that out of the five [Bermuda College] students working [at HP Samuelsson], they were impressed with me the most, that I showed the best spirit and they would take me to New York on an externship.

Q: Did you expect the call? Had you given up?

A: I had been waiting to hear for two-and-a-half months. I hadn’t forgotten about it. I was happy but when he called me I was in bed. I was a bit out of it when we started talking and then it hit me — Whoa ... that’s kind of cool.

Q: Have you heard from the other HP Samuelsson interns since you got the news?

A: They all congratulated me and said they were really happy for me.

Q: What do you hope to get out of the experience?

A: It looks really good on a resume. I just want to pick up as much as I can. I’m not sure exactly what I will be doing there — shadowing the chefs, tasting great food and helping with the opening.

Q: What’s your favourite dish?

A: My favourite dish to cook is beef wellington. It’s braised beef tenderloin with fois gras wrapped in pastry. But my favourite food is pasta. I love pasta. I could eat it all day.

Q: Have you been to Italy?

A: I’ve been to Rome and Civitavecchia, which is just outside Rome.

Q: What’s your ultimate goal as a chef?

A: I definitely hope one day to have my own restaurant.

Q: Why do you think there are relatively few Bermudians who are chefs?

A: Being a chef means working very long hours, so that’s probably one of the main reasons why. You have to really like what you’re doing in order to be a chef.

Q: What’s your favourite restaurants here?

A: Waterlot Inn and Art Mels but I usually don’t eat out much. I cook my own stuff.